Agency-listedUSFSFree
Secret House
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CA · 39.18736, -120.58584
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Secret House
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,444 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Secret HouseNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Secret House · Tahoe National Forest · CA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- WWater9 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- DDump9 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- OOutfitter19 mi
- HHardware20 mi
- RxPharmacy21 mi
- PPropane21 mi
- MMechanic23 mi
- ShShower23 mi
- +Urgent care24 mi
- LLaundry24 mi
- AAir-up25 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 9 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Secret House
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,444 ft
State
CA
Coordinates
39.18736, -120.58584
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Secret House · Tahoe National Forest · CA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townAlta · ~11.6 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~8.7 mi
- FuelValero · ~8.7 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~20.7 mi
- Dump station~9.1 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~8.8 mi
- PharmacyColfax pharmacy · ~20.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicCamp Nurse · ~23.5 mi
- HardwareHardware · ~20.5 mi
EV charging — from Secret House · Tahoe National Forest · CA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.6 mi straight-line N — DC CORRIDOR LUCKYS SS DC1, Soda Springs, CA · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach16 within 25 mi · 112 within 50 · 327 within 100 · 1000 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)8.6 mi — Soda Springs, CA - Tesla Supercharger, Soda Springs
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.6 mi — DC CORRIDOR LUCKYS SS L2, Soda Springs, CA · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 181598 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Secret House · Tahoe National Forest · CA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMumford Bar · ~3.0 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRobinson Flat · ~4.9 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletChina Wall · ~5.5 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTunnel Mills · ~5.7 mi NW · USFS
Open Secret House elsewhere
Other camps near Secret House
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Ford Point~1.0 mi
- Secret Canyon / American Hill~2.0 mi
- Mumford Bar To Beacroft~2.1 mi
- Canada Hill~3.1 mi
The unit that manages Secret House
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Secret House are set by Tahoe National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Secret House
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Secret House
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Secret House
What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Fire rules & restrictions →Leave no trace →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →